Six Sigma and TOC – What’s Possible

What’s Possible:

When Six Sigma is used to improve the performance of a Constraint, EVERY project yields a profit boost.
When the technology is deployed to improve the performance of a non-constraint that is threatening to cause problems for a constraint; or a non-constraint where the improvement opportunity contributes directly towards establishing a Definitive Competitive Edge; the impact is direct, often massive, and connects to the bottom line through increased sales.

Theory of Constraints, TOC, provides the platform for both of these to happen; the essence of TOC is the combination of Focus and Leverage. TOC gives you the ability to say “If we make THAT change over HERE then the result will look good and feel good, but won’t do anything for the bottom line or for the competitive edge; but if I make EXACTLY the same change HERE instead, the impact will be fast, direct, big in scale, and it’ll provide additional profits within 48 hours and help us win the new account we’re fighting for …”

So when we find a company with in-house Six Sigma expertise, we are excited because they have the ability to bring to bear a powerful tool that has no equal in Theory of Constraints for specific tasks; and we know we can point the laser at EXACTLY the most highly-leveraged opportunities.

(Visit this page for more information, including a published case study of a 21-plant Corporation that tested TOC, Lean and Six Sigma. The results are eye-opening.) http://www.synchronix.com/comparing-toc-and-lean/comparing-lean-and-six-sigma-and-the-impact-of-theory-of-constraints/

My business partner for 25+ years was a Total Quality Management specialist — he didn’t just use Quality Management techniques, he taught them; and he didn’t just teach them, he taught the trainers who taught them. We became business partners when we brought a California-based executive to a combined APICS and ASQC (now ASQ) meeting and this executive explained how, after years of TQM, they had gained more quality improvement in months following their TOC implementation — and simply as a side-line benefit — than in the years of focusing on quality improvements with blinkers on.

As we worked together for 25+ years I saw over and over how his statistical approach to issues “In God we trust, everyone else brings data” and the methodical approach to addressing Constraint and non-Constraint challenges translated into huge gains for our clients.

These days I collaborate with Chris Butterworth; one of the most experienced Six Sigma Master Black Belts on the planet, he also has a much broader array of Quality Engineering tools to bring to the table.

Background (and a small Rant)

Six Sigma is a powerful tool when deployed correctly. “Correctly” from my perspective means, used with laser-focus on problems that are appropriate targets for the technology.

Instead, we too-often see Six Sigma being used as a catch-all improvement technology with laughable impact. At its worst extreme we see companies who train scores of people to some “Belt” status, launch scores of improvement projects (essential to gain certification), complete hardly any of them and show no significant benefits in terms of the bottom line or competitive edge performance from those that are completed.

I say “laughable” but I’m not the one doing the laughing. I think it’s one of the most appalling illustrations of Waste in the modern industrial world. Wasted time, energy, money, and senior managers are eroding the trust of their middle managers and staff and hourly employees, which is an entirely different type of waste carrying the highest price of all.

But the managers and staff who tell me their stories, off the record, DO laugh about it, not because it’s a joke but because “Steve, if we didn’t laugh we’d have to cry.”

Help Us Make This Workshop Happen Fri 15th June 2018

Combining Theory Of Constraints (TOC) and Lean provides very fast, very large performance improvements that just keep getting better -- and ALWAYS reach the bottom line.

Steve Jackson teams-up with Derek Barichievy - but only if we can get 10 people to commit immediately! If we can ... it's a "go."
Click this link

What Clients Say

“Without exception, their approach to working relationships was professional, respectful, cordial and positive. They inspired our staff to develop strong teamwork bonds, always generating enthusiasm and respect from the groups they worked with. The business and personal integrity of both Steve and Rod is unimpeachable. They demonstrated honesty, dedication to their mission – if they ever felt that they had failed to convey a principle, or clarify a process, they would do double duty, on their own account, to elucidate, explain and discuss, ensuring that understanding was achieved.”

-- Sr.Vice President, Pharmaceuticals manufacturing & packaging

“A year earlier we had done $1.6 to $1.7 million in sales for a month and there was overtime, Saturday work and stress. This time, when the company reached the $2 million mark in monthly sales the plant didn’t even realize that the company was having that busy of a month until the results were announced.
There were no ill effects, no overtime, and inventory also dropped. With the restructuring of processes (using TOC) sales not only grew but became more profitable.”

-- Owner and President, Kitchen Cabinet company

“I can tell you that in the Fall, with relatively little increase in headcount and using exactly the same equipment, we were able to record 60% more revenue than in our previous best-ever Fall – which, at the time, we thought was close to the plant’s maximum production.”

-- Owner & GM, furniture manufacturing

“Your work with us … has resulted in a significant increase in volume. We have improved from a daily average of 189 tons to a daily average of 237 tons in the past 3 months … this is “found” capacity that we now fill with the orders we were previously turning away. Additionally we did not change any of the crewing levels and did not have to spend any capital.”

VP Ops, steel-related industry

“The first year after Theory of Constraints with 1 employee our gross sales grew 66%. This second year – safe to predict a 20-30% gross sales increase over last year, still only 1 employee and some part time help. Our cash flow has soared, we have eliminated the need for an operating line of credit, the company has cash in savings, cash in checking, and has for almost 12 months now. Clean shop, good jobs, cash in hand, bills paid, happy employee, happy wife, all because I took a chance to change my thinking!”